Product Description

There are lots of things about weight training in general and barbell exercise in particular that can only be learned by spending way too many hours in the gym. And honestly, unless you're a gym owner, this is a really weird way to spend 75 hours a week. Mark Rippetoe has been in the fitness industry since 1978 and has owned a black-iron gym since 1984. He knows things about lifting weights and training for performance that most other coaches and professionals have never had the chance to learn. This book of essays offers a glimpse into the depths of experience made possible through many years under the bar, and many more years spent helping others under the bar.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12261 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-28
• Binding: Perfect Paperback

About the Author
Mark Rippetoe is the author of Starting Strength: A Simple and Practical Guide for Coaching Beginners, numerous magazine and journal articles, and the co-author of Practical Programming for Strength Training. He has worked in the fitness industry since 1978, and has owned Wichita Falls Athletic Club since 1984. He graduated from Midwestern State University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in geology and a minor in anthropology. He was in the first grouop certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as CSCS in 1985, and is a USA Weightlifting Senior Coach, CrossFit Coach, and USA Track and Field Level I Coach. He was a competitive powerlifter for ten years, and has coached many lifters and athletes, and thousands of people interested in improving their strength and performance.

Customer Reviews

Great Starting Strength companion
This collection of advice, anecdotes, and opinions makes for a great read. I own "Starting Strength" as well, and make use of it frequently as a reference - quick checks to find form issues or clarifications. "Strong Enough?" is a different sort of book, one that is enjoyable to read cover-to-cover. There are still plenty of practical lifting tips, but they're gleaned as you go from the broader context.

If "Starting Strength" is the next best thing to having a lifting coach beside you in the gym, "Strong Enough?" is the next best thing to having a beer with him afterwards.

Are you Strong Enough? Are you sure about that?
"Strong Enough?" is a collection of eighteen articles Rippetoe has written on a variety of topics related to weight-training over the years. Within these articles are anecdotes of events and people that have shaped his opinions and life. Far more informal and conversational than the other books, but still incredibly informative, and running the gambit of inspiring to hilarious, they entertain and inform in Rip's rare style.

There is an enlightening dissection of Silly BS from a variety of medical and fitness sources, more excellent quotations of the great minds you should read, and you can find out just how much weight training is related to the topics on Art Bell. Some stories are quite touching too, and you get some insight into the kinds of things that can be learned through the years by someone who cares to keep their eyes open, ears attuned, and sense of humor never too far away. Interspersed between and within the articles are pictures that span the three decades of Rippetoe's career, from intense competition lifts to other scenes from the gym and life, including the author's mother in the 75-79 master's age group setting an impressive state record. I'm looking forward to the calendar, personally... no word on its release date yet.

Add this book to your shelf for a thought-provoking read when you can't get into a heavier tome.

Help In Becoming Strong Enough!
The product description states "There are lots of things about weight training in general and barbell exercise in particular that can only be learned by spending way too many hours in the gym" and Mr. Rippetoe has done just that. His willingness to share the type of information that can only be earned the hard way, by training, competing, and training others to the highest level of success is within these pages and presented in a meaningful and useful manner that reflects Mark's well-known and often caustic sense of humor. Forget the "get abs in thirty days" hype and the concept that biceps and ab muscles equates to fitness, health, and strength. The real information is in Strong Enough? and its useable NOW, enjoyable NOW, and necessary NOW in a culture awash with the notion that you don't have to work hard to improve.
Dr. Ken Leistner